Halfway Down the Stairs

Thursday, September 28, 2006

ssssh...migraine...you know the kind where even typing uppercase letters hurts?However, I have completed one mitten from my lovely Clementine from the Yarn Pirate.You can see that she has sold just about everything from her Etsy store, however, she is dyeing away so I am waiting eagerly to see her new yarns.Here is that little One Skein clutch I told you about here and here.I love how it got the stripey two-tone appearance after it was felted. It only used 1/2 half of that skein, so I started this bag with the leftover brown and added the orange and another color to be determined!

So, my husband has to driver to Aberdeen tonight for his Aunt's funeral, so just me and the kids and a chilly weekend coming up. (5th grade football tonight!)

I'm knitting on the second bag. Cast on my second mitten. I cast on for the Banff this afternoon and I'm balling up a skein of yarn for the Fetching fingerless gloves from Knitty. Even with my ADD I should be covered, no? I might even seam a little bit. See, the thing about me and migraines? I can't sleep because all I can think about is how my eyeball is going to pop out of my head soon...and then my meds give me acid reflux so I can't be prone...so I'm better off doing something I don't have to concentrate on too much. 48 hours later, I'm much better, dark circles under my eyes and all.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Home at Last!I know it's a dark photo - but I wanted to show you my pillows made it to their new home with the rest of their family! The don't stay stacked on this couch for long but there they are!Also- as promised - the ingenue. It is a titch big - I'll have to do some doctoring to wear it before Spring. The photo is very blurry, but the color is pretty close. (And man - I gotta do something about those arms - pushups should help a little, but age does it to us all doesn't it?)There is a long sleeved sweater in my future, several, as a matter of fact. I believe the Banff in Knit Picks Sierra in the Cranberry color is being cast on this weekend. I know, I still have to seam the Debbie Bliss cardi - but I can only do that a little bit at a time.And I told you I was bad - here's the Noro - free shipping and soon I will have a booga bag!

Any day now construction workers are going to descend on my house and start tearing off the stucco. I will have nowhere to hide, but I will have yarn stash to knit! I may have to stake out a chair at the local coffee place just to get out. If only I had a laptop, I would be there in a heartbeat!

I finished my little chocolate clutch yesterday - it has been fulled and is drying on the floor as I type. Just needs a little decoration and then it will be photographed to show off. Sometimes you just need a little instant gratification.

I gave mom her scarf last week, along with a bunch of books on CD that I burned from my Audible.com downloads, and she loved it! I'll have to try and get a picture of her modeling this winter. She is finally starting to feel a little less fragile from her surgery. She is up and driving, just not on her feet for very much time. She started PT last week and that is cheering her up immensely. Such a relief. She was pretty depressed there for a while, thinking she was going to have to sell her house and look for a townhouse, or even assisted living. At 68, she does not feel ready to give up her home of 46 years.

Well, there's your ups and there's your downs. Life has them both and we all just keep goin' don't we?

Enjoy your day, hope it is as beautiful as mine.

PS My husband wants to get another puppy. Heavens help me - he says you always need a spare!

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Well, I finished it's partner on Saturday afternoon at the cabin. No sooner did I hold it up and say "Look! I finished my first PAIR of socks!" (There have been a few singles, stuffed away into baskets and they may yet be completed...) ANYWAY, no sooner did I hold them up to show off when they were whisked onto a pair of 14 year old feet - over a pair of regular socks - and worn for the rest of the weekend. I will never see them again, unless I'm willing to go mining in the bottom of a 14 year old's closet. Are you? I blinked with the speed those socks disappeared, and then laughed. Who would guess?

Ingenue is finished - if I can swing a decent picture tomorrow - I will model it - goosebumps and all.

Deep breath, and then seaming.

I wish you could have seen me on Saturday in my swimsuit bottoms, hooded sweatshirt, floatation device, driving the Sea-Doo across the lake in three foot waves (to the boat ramp). From here on out, the boats come out of the water LABOR DAY WEEKEND! Remember that!The muskie fishermen were laughing their ASSES off! Sorry no pictures, as I am the keeper of the camera.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Hey Folks, I'm Outtie...Since the monsoon has put a halt to all youth sports for the weekend, we are heading out early to take boats and lifts out of the water and clean the cabin for the end of the year. I'll be back on Sunday night, hopefully with FO's to show..

In the meantime I give you: Book List - Part Infinity:

31. Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende (6/3/06)Isabelle Allende creates a kind of warm bath by a fireplace with her words. I can just slide in and enjoy how she creates a paragraph, a sentence. This is a story about memory, about how you need to own all of your memories and place them together in a type of puzzle in order to make your whole life make sense.

30. The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch (6/6/06)A fourteen-year old boy tossed into the ridiculous limelight that is our world's attention span. What is it we are looking for? Our society as a whole with ADD.

29. A Dame to Kill For by Frank Miller (6/7/06)Part two of the Sin City series. I’ve seen the movie so now I’m going to have to keep reading to find out what happens after the movie. I still have to read part three before I get into the new stuff. Twenty-eight books to go, and I’ve got a list of summer books I want to squeeze in! AAH!

28. Tall, Dark & Dead by Tate Hallaway (6/9/06)OMG. Can you talk about a brainless read? I’m still numb. Two days. (Snrk.)

27. The Whole World Over by Julie Glass (6/13/06)I’m so excited. This is the author of Three Junes. I loved it soooooooooo much. I guess I have to admit I was disappointed, in some ways, with this book. I liked Greenie, but I didn’t understand her choices. Her husband, Alan, was a milquetoast and they both made really weird choices for their child. What I did like, the side stories about her gay friend and his inevitable romance with the character from Three Junes. The girl with a damaged long-term memory; this time she was the character the author left me wondering about, but frankly, I don’t know if I’d invest the time in another of her novels if I was going to be this disappointed.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Somebody Stop Me!

Seriously, I mean it. This came in the mail yesterday. Lorna's Laces in Black Purl from here.

I'm not even going to tell you what I'm getting later this week, oh my goodness. Then I ordered some Noro this morning - I want to make a Booga Bag. I blame this on her. On top of that, her latest post sent me looking at THIS! I covet, covet, covet that peacock bag. Heavens help me.

However. On the other hand. This morning I finished this:yummy blue softness! I've cast on it's twin as I'm speaking.

Yesterday, I seamed up this:

And even now, in my sink, Ingenue is having it's bath. Of course, it will be too cold to wear it until Spring, but I can put it in my closet and pet it's silky softness.

Board Meetings, Football, Poker and taking out boat lifts - that's what I have to look forward to the next couple of days.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Oh dear, I am purchasing way more than I am using. Time to cut the yarn fat, no?

I have one FO to show you, dear internets. My goal for the next week is at least three more!I also have just a little new stash. I did purchase more, but they are for swapping, and I won't show those until I have shipped them, okay? OK. The FO. Here is the scarf I started this week for my mom:

The scarf turned out so nice and lacey. It photographed much more grey than burgundy. In person - it's much more burgundy and you can see quite a bit of olive in it - plus it has little bits of sparkle.

Then I went shopping a few weekends ago up in Northern Wisconsin - at the Pine Needle - just outside of Cable, Wisconsin and I bought the really lovely skein of Trekking XXL and the needles down below. The label is lost so I can tell you no more about it. I went shopping at Coldwater Collaborative in Excelsior on Saturday. That's where I picked up the copy of Not Just Socks down below. I also bought some chocolatey yarn at Coldwater. Now to decide which to keep and which to send - hmmm.I have my little Chiagu clutch all knitted up and blocking right now - I should be able to sew it up tomorrow. The ingenue is sitting by the sink waiting for its bathtime. The Debbie Bliss Cardi is a seaming project for Thursday.

Third week of school, the infamous back-to-school virus has struck both my kiddos. The high-schooler is on the upside of the virus, but Puck woke up this morning with the croupe wheeze and came home at lunchtime from school. (He wanted to go to school because today was the day he got his band instrument assignment - trombone!! Yay! We love the big brass teacher at our school.)

By the way, I couldn't resist, that trekking is already on the needles.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Later - Stash Enhancement. Right Now - Book List Part Something:

36. Deep Fire Rising by Jack Du Brul (4/29/06)Excellent beach read. Need I say more? I think Mathew McConnaughey is lined up for the lead in this movie (joke). Well-written. I didn’t have the uncontrolled eye-rolling too often.

35. Split Second by David Baldacci (5/6/06)Mmmm. Another beach read, and I’ve read Baldacci’s books out of order; I should have read this before reading Hour Game. The action is great, I just wish the relationship between the two investigators was a little more fleshed out.

34. Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright (5/13/06)Oh. Lovely story about two, very different yet alike, sisters. I could put myself into Clara’s life so easily. Her sister Nora’s as well. These two women came of age the same era as my grandma Eddie. It made me feel like a small child reading about the good old days. It’s just really nice reading about two women who really are dealing with life on their own terms, even when men come along and push them off-course.

33. Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards (5/20/06)Such a sad, sad tale. I loved the whole family by the end of the story, I know the father was an admirable soul, however, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling a certain contempt for him, no matter how hard I tried not to. Really? Are there men like that in existence? I have a hard time believing it, but I’ve never lived life in the furnace that supposedly forges this type of person.

32. A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber (5/27/06)Ok, now. I want to go shopping for yarn, badly. The rest of the story, meh. I’d like not to be irritated by fellow knitters, and these ladies mostly irritated me.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

The Funky Scarf is making a guest appearance today, before I pack it up - although I'm not supposed to mail it until October 14. However, she's a social little thing, and just pulled up a chair so, meet Funky Scarf.

However, I believe that I will only use one of these two skeins so I think that I will use the other skein for this.

What? Ingenue? What do you mean? Of course I have not forgotten her. Three inches of crochet is all that keeps her from blocking (sigh). I plugged away during Project Runway last night. (Yay Laura! I was so happy for her. I really hope she makes the final three.) I digress for a moment. Does anyone else wish that Allison had returned instead of Vincent and Angela (cringe, shudder)? Yea, me too. What was I talking about? Oh yea, WIP. The plan is 1. ingenue 2. The Beccie Scarf (which I downloaded from Diva Knitting 3. seam the Debbie Bliss cardi and 4. Eva

In the meantime, I get to do some SP9 and Chocoloate Swap shopping! Yay!

Last but not least, I leave you with this:My future mittens. I can hardly wait.

Oh, I ordered these from this nice lady, the colorway is called Clementine. I would have ordered a few others, but I'm holding out for some that I missed. I love her logo on her tags.

Well, tonight we have 5th grade football. Cross your fingers for Puck and hope they hang on to their winning streak!

Monday, September 11, 2006

FO's and Yarn Porn.

Why should I be any different?

A crazy weekend. Twins' game and Eagles Football (43 to NOTHING?) 5th grade Football (yay! Puck's team won 22 -6). Lost Lacrosse practice. Dinner at Zelo. Lyle Lovett concert (zzzz...seriously, I fell asleep! Last time I have a dirty martini with dinner). Costco. Gamestop. Neighborhood dad/child Fantasy Football draft. Birthday Party. Block Party.

FO's: The color on the left hand pillow is really not as grim as it appears. I actually knitted these last Winter but just got around to seaming and adding buttons this week. There are two additional pillows in brown and teal already up at the cabin in complimentary stitch patterns. Yarn is Knitpicks - for the life of my I can't remember where the pattern is from. I am forcing myself to finish all the leftover projects before I start anything new or fun. I've three more sweaters that need to be finished. Darn ingenue, then the Debbie Bliss Cardi, and a silly little anthropologie cardi I worked up this weekend. It needs a retro closure for the neck.

Yarn porn:

The one on the left is Spiced Chai - 180 yards recycled silk yarn and the one on the right is Kathmandu: Unrefined - 175 yards of recycled silk from Blonde Chicken Boutique - I'm actually expecting another skein of the Kathmandu - there was an order snafu and she had to reorder for me. The Spiced Chai is going to be a scarf for the MIL. The Kathmandu I'm going to have to keep for myself.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Book List, Part Whatever...

41. Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud (3/25/06)OK, now I have to admit that I borrow all of my pre-teen boys’ books and read them, and I love them too. This is the third in a series, and such a dark but true-spirited ending. If JK Rowling is paying attention, Harry may be doomed.

40. The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller (4/1/06)Part one of Sin City. I have to say the movie was very true to the book. I almost wish I had started reading with Part 4. Either that, or I wish I had read the books first. As an aging comic book geek, I do love to read these graphic novels.

39. Hour Game by David Baldacci (4/8/06)This guy has written a LOT of books, potboiler fiction I believe it is called, but that is just perfect for a Florida vacation. I rather like the two characters, if I could just remember if Maxwell is the girl or the guy, seriously, I had to remind myself everytime I read the name.

38. The Dante Club: A Novel by Matthew Pearl (4/15/06)This book took me six months to read. It wasn’t a bad story. I had a card game as a kid called Authors. I kept picturing these grey-haired old geezers every time I read about Longfellow, Emerson or Fields. Somehow it all seemed Monty Pythonesque?

37. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (4/22/06)The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and the world’s most prolific serial killer. So hard to start this one, but I finally got so wrapped into the lives of the people creating the magnificent buildings of the fair or, Columbian Exhibition, that it was like reading two separate stories. The creation of something wonderful, exciting and NEW and the careless extinction of lives juxtaposed. A good book, to savor slowly.

and there you have it. I only have five books to finish my 52 books in 52 weeks!! Yay!

PS OMG the girls evicted Will!!! Can you stand it?

PPS Finally, Vincent is gone from my television screen. I will need to disinfect it before I can watch Project Runway again.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

How come every time you come around my London, London Bridge wanna go down like....

I am normally the gal listening to the alternative station, but this new song by Fergie (as seen on "So You Think You Can Dance!") has got me chair dancing at the computer and swining my hips while I fill the crockpot!

So, back to school today for Puck and the Teenager - hmm, could these guys look a little LESS happy?Stress for mom as we had no groceries and I had appointments to keep. The knitting needles were picked up today only to be moved from place to place.

Return buses are scheduled at 2:30 and 2:55, then I become the homework fascist and chore major. Is it a wonder that I love reality television for the escapism?

About Me

I am a 49 year old SAHM (going on 9 years now). I have two teenagers, and a wonderful DH who underwrites this whole project************************
My childhood:
Halfway down the stairs Is a stair Where I sit. There isn't any Other stair Quite like It. I'm not at the bottom, I'm not at the top; So this is the stair Where I always Stop. Halfway up the stairs Isn't up, And isn't down. It isn't in the nursery, It isn't in the town. And all sorts of funny thoughts Run round my head: "It isn't really Anywhere! It's somewhere else Instead!" a.a. Milne